April 2012
“We were not a hugging people. In terms of emotional comfort it was our belief that no amount of physical contact could match the healing powers of a well made cocktail.”
—David Sedaris, Naked
Ok, maybe this is a dumb question, but I feel bothered by it. I recently was sharing a bottle of Evan Williams black label with a friend and I happened to look over the bottle. It says it's a Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey, however, it also says that it is charcoaled filtered. How is it that these two labels can coexist on the bottle? Is Evan Williams ignoring the 'technicality' of the Lincoln county process?
Not a dumb question at all. Though I am not entirely sure what you are asking. I am assuming you’re talking about the fact that a (straight) bourbon is using charcoal filtration, which, as generally understood, is the overall process used in producing Tennessee whiskey? If that is the case, there are two things going on: One, Tennessee whiskey is “technically” bourbon, yet those who use the term “Tennessee whiskey” are allowed to do so by state Tennessee law, one requirement is the Lincoln country process. So it’s not really bourbon if it isn’t designated by law. You’ll get all these hypo-bourbon-snobs lighting up the blogosphere stating that Jack and Dickel are not bourbon, but Tennessee whiskey. Yes, legally they are different, but only by exclusion in name. Hypothetically, if tomorrow Jack Daniels or Dickel wanted to change their status from Tennessee whiskey to bourbon they would legally find no road blocks. Second, there is more then one kind of “charcoal filtration” as it were, i.e. sugar-maple or activated charcoal. Neither of which would exclude a particular spirit from being labeled bourbon.
Evan Williams Black Label most likely uses some kind of chill-filtration, which many times includes some kind of charcoal-filtration. When the brand was created they most likely were trying to cash in on the mystic of JD or Dickel, even with the Lincoln County Process being much different from what Evan Williams was doing. Hope that answers your question.
